This dumbbell shoulder workout will help you build a stronger frame for injury-free strength sessions and big upper-body gains in 2024.
There’s nothing wrong with grabbing your adjustable dumbbells and regularly working your whole body, but our shoulders require special attention. That’s why we’ve devised this dumbbell shoulder workout for you to do at home. The big muscles in the joint have the capacity to shift a large amount of weight but if you ignore the small stabilizing muscles that are deep in the joint you could end up with an injury that’s hard to heal.
This workout begins with two dumbbell exercises – external and internal rotations – that strengthen the deep-lying stabilizing muscles. They will also warm up your joints for the bigger lifts, such as the seated shoulder press, that follow. We perform these exercises almost religiously, along with other core workouts. Together they form a strong foundation for most other exercises you’ll do.
As with any body part, it’s important to work the shoulders from a variety of angles. The lateral raise will target your middle shoulders, the front raise targets your front shoulders and the halo targets the front, middle and rear shoulders.
The exercises that make up this dumbbell shoulder workout
- Dumbbell external rotation (12-15 reps each side | 2 sets)
- Dumbbell internal rotation (12-15 reps each side | 2 sets)
- Dumbbell kneeling hammer-grip shoulder press (10 reps | 3 reps)
- Dumbbell lateral raise (10 reps | 3 reps)
- Dumbbell front raise (10 reps | 3 reps)
- Dumbbell halo (10 reps | 3 reps)
- Rest for 1 minute between sets
- Rest for 2 minutes between exercises
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1. Dumbbell external rotation
| Reps | 12-15 each side |
| Rest | 60 secs |
| Sets | 2 |
Do this move as a warm-up before heavy dumbbell shoulder exercises or at the end of a workout to develop your stabilizing muscles.
How to do a dumbbell external rotation:
- Lie on your side with your knees bent for stability. It’s best to use an exercise mat for floor exercises.
- With your upper arm in line with your body, bend your elbow to 90 degrees and hold a dumbbell.
- Rotate your arm as far as is comfortable and return to the start.
2. Dumbbell internal rotation
| Reps | 12-15 each side |
| Rest | 60 secs |
| Sets | 2 |
Move your shoulder in the opposite direction to the external rotation during this dumbbell exercise.
How to do a dumbbell internal rotation:
- Start by lying on your side with your knees bent for stability, your upper arm in line with your body and your elbow bent at 90 degrees.
- Hold a light dumbbell in your upturned palm.
- Rotate your arm so the dumbbell points upwards with your elbow still at 90 degrees.
3. Dumbbell kneeling hammer-grip shoulder press
| Reps | 10 |
| Rest | 60 secs |
| Sets | 3 |
Kneeling while doing the dumbbell press makes this shoulder exercise more stable and allows you to lift more weight.
How to do a dumbbell kneeling hammer-grip shoulder press:
- Kneel with the dumbbells held at shoulder height and your elbows out to the sides.
- Make sure you keep your core braced throughout the move and avoid arching your back.
- Press the weights directly overhead but don’t let them touch at the top.
4. Dumbbell lateral raise
| Reps | 10 |
| Rest | 60 secs |
| Sets | 3 |
Use a light weight to target both your delts and your upper traps to give yourself broad-looking shoulders.
How to do a dumbbell lateral raise:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your body upright and your core braced.
- Lift the weights out to the sides with straight arms.
- Stop at shoulder level and hold for a second before lowering slowly.
5. Dumbbell front raise
| Reps | 10 |
| Rest | 60 secs |
| Sets | 3 |
By raising the dumbbells out in front of you, you place the stress on the front of your shoulders during this exercise.
How to do a dumbbell front raise:
- Hold the dumbbells in front of your quads with your palms facing you.
- Lift the dumbbells out in front of you to shoulder level, pause for a second, then lower slowly to the start.
6. Dumbbell halo
| Reps | 10 |
| Rest | 60 secs |
| Sets | 3 |
Moving the dumbbell around your head in a 360-degree rotation works your whole shoulder joint, making this exercise a great addition to this workout.
How to do a dumbbell halo:
- Hold the dumbbell in front of you at chin height with palms facing forwards.
- Rotate the dumbbell around your head then reverse the movement back to the start.
Looking for a new dumbbell set? We recommend the Jordan Fitness Premium Urethane Dumbbells, which are grippy, good value for money, and suitable for beginners.
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